The Elder Scrolls 6: How Bethesda Could Revamp Progression Systems

More questing but less grinding.

While The Elder Scrolls 6 isn’t coming anytime soon (and isn’t much more than a concept at this stage), it’s still interesting to examine how the game could change based on recent Bethesda happenings.

The progression system seen in Skyrim and more recently in The Elder Scrolls Online allows players to gain levels, assign skill points and essentially get better with certain skills the longer they’re used. Fallout 4’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. changed quite a lot for hardcore fans, especially when it did away with straightforward skills and made Perks that could facilitate certain builds better.

There are positives and negatives to both approaches but one has to wonder which benefits an RPG better. The freedom and flexibility offered by both is dependent on how players want to approach the game. In my opinion, I wouldn’t mind a stronger emphasis on gear and items that could substantially alter a player’s status and build in less concrete ways. Think Legendary weapons that are named and which carry their own intricate stories. These would then change your character as your progress through the game – a demonic sword would be slowly corrupt you but unlock new variants on your abilities while also making NPCs more scared of you.

Likewise, a certain ancient armour set could attract a certain faction, one thought long dead, to a town to meet you. It’s less by way of RNG for drops and more progression-based with each discovery adding to your legend and bestowing new abilities (some only gained by equipping certain items. Granted, levels could still be gained and skills unlocked but enemies would scale with you, neither overwhelming you nor proving giant pushovers. Granted, there should be ways to help players feel overpowered as well but that’s another topic for another day.

What kind of progression system would you like to see in The Elder Scrolls 6? Let us know below.